The disclosure relates generally to fiber optic equipment that includes fiber routing management, and more particularly to a fiber terminal rack mount with front-to-back fiber routing management which can be installed in a fiber terminal rack of a fiber terminal cabinet to provide fiber routing management.
To improve network performance, communication and data networks are increasingly employing optical fiber. The benefits of optical fiber are well known and include higher signal-to-noise ratios and increased bandwidth. To further improve network performance, fiber optic networks are increasingly providing optical fiber connectivity all the way to end subscribers. These initiatives include various fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), and other fiber initiatives (generally described as FTTx).
A fiber optic network provides optical signals over a distribution network comprised of fiber optic cables. Optical signals may be carried over fiber optic cables to end subscribers via remote terminals. A remote terminal, as used herein, is a device used in fiber optic distribution networks that may convert between optical and electrical signals and/or provide high density fiber termination optical cross-connect for routing optical signals.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary optical network that includes remote terminals for converting electrical signals to optical signals, and vice versa, and for carrying optical signals over a fiber optic network. The fiber optic network 100 in FIG. 1 provides optical signals from switching points 102 over a distribution network 104 comprising fiber optic feeder cables 106. The switching points 102 include optical line terminals (OLTs) or forward lasers/return receivers 108 that convert electrical signals to and from optical signals. The optical signals may then be carried over the fiber optic feeder cables 106 to remote terminals 110. The remote terminals 110 act as consolidation points for splicing and making cross-connections and interconnections, as well as providing locations for couplers and splitters. The couplers and splitters in the remote terminals 110 enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple subscriber premises 112. Distribution cables 114 (e.g., optical and/or electrical) exit the remote terminals 110 to carry optical signals between the fiber optic network 100 and the subscriber premises 112. Typical subscriber premises 112 include single-dwelling units (SDU), multi-dwelling units (MDU), businesses, and/or other facilities or buildings. End subscribers in the subscriber premises 112 may contain network devices configured to receive electrical signals as opposed to optical signals. Thus, if the distribution cables 114 are optical cables, then optical network terminals (ONTs) and/or optical network units (ONUs) may be provided at the subscriber premises 112 to convert optical signals received over the distribution cables 114 to electronic signals. The distribution cables 114 leaving the remote terminals 110 can be run to one or more network interface devices (NIDs) for further routing and distribution to subscriber premises 112. The remote terminals 110 may convert between optical and electrical signals and/or provide high density fiber termination optical cross-connect for routing optical signals. In particular, remote terminals 110 contain high density termination housings that terminate one or more fiber optic cables (e.g., feeder cables 106).
A remote terminal comprises a remote terminal cabinet containing high density termination housings that terminate one or more fiber optic cables. Routing of the high termination density housings can be complicated, particularly for high density termination housings oriented in a back-to-back orientation (which requires jumper management between the front and rear facing fiber termination housings). While there is an increased demand for higher density fiber termination within the fiber termination housings, there is also limited right of way space regarding the location of these remote terminal cabinets.
Accordingly, there is a desire to minimize the size and footprint of the remote terminal cabinet and maximize the density fiber termination contained therein, particularly for fiber termination housings in a back-to-back orientation.